A system and a method for liquefied fuel storage are provided. The system includes a first module including a first outer vessel wall and a cryotank, a second module including a second outer vessel wall and a submerged pump at partially inside the second outer vessel wall, and a third module including a third outer vessel wall. The first, the second, and the third outer vessel walls are connected to provide an enclosure as an outer vessel.

A liquid cryogen stored in a liquid cryogen space of a closed insulated cryogenic storage vessel is subcooled by allowing it to enter into a conduit disposed in the liquid cryogen space where it is expanded by a pressure reducer in the conduit, thereby producing a cooled biphasic mixture of the cryogen in liquid and vaporized forms. The cooled biphasic mixture has a temperature lower than that of the liquid cryogen in the liquid cryogen space. Heat is transferred across the conduit from the liquid cryogen in the liquid cryogen space to the cooled biphasic mixture.

According to some embodiments, a cryogenic storage tank includes a manway formed in a body of the cryogenic storage tank. An inner manway lid is coupled to an inner wall of the cryogenic storage tank and disposed over at least a portion of the manway. An outer manway lid is coupled to an outer wall of the cryogenic storage tank and disposed over at least a portion of the manway. The inner and outer manway lids are configured to retain pressure within the cryogenic storage tank.

A cryogenic liquid dispensing system having a tank that holds cryogenic liquid and a basin configured to hold cryogenic liquid at a height above a bottom portion of the tank. The system is configured to pump cryogenic liquid for dispensing from the bottom portion of the tank when the cryogenic liquid in the tank is of a sufficient level to provide an adequate liquid head to permit pump operation, and is configured to pump cryogenic liquid for dispensing from the basin when the liquid in the tank is of an insufficient level to provide an adequate liquid head to permit pump operation to dispense cryogenic liquid.

A method for precooling fuel delivery components of a machine having an engine fueled by a cryogenically-stored fuel is described. The fuel delivery components may be configured to operate at an operating temperature at or below a boiling point of the cryogenically-stored fuel. The method may comprise, in a vapor precooling mode, cooling the fuel delivery components to a temperature approaching the operating temperature with a vapor of the fuel taken from a reservoir cryogenically storing the fuel. The method may further comprise, in a liquid precooling mode, further cooling the fuel delivery components to the operating temperature with a liquid of the fuel taken from the reservoir.

A reciprocating cryogenic pump 2 comprises a piston reciprocable within a pumping chamber 44. The pumping chamber 44 has an inlet suction valve 48 for cryogenic liquid to be pumped and an outlet 32 for high pressure cryogenic liquid. The inlet valve 48 for the cryogenic liquid communicates with a cryogenic liquid reception chamber 46 in the cold end or head 6 of the pump 2. The pump head 6 is at least partially surrounded by a first jacket 8 retaining primary vacuum insulation. The first jacket 8 is itself at least partly surrounded by a second jacket 10. The jacket 10 defines a chamber for the reception of a coolant fluid such as liquid nitrogen and the second jacket has an inlet 20 and an outlet 22 for the liquid nitrogen. The thermal insulation can be further enhanced by a trapped gas space 73 between the first jacket 8 and an inner sleeve 52, the latter defining with an outer sleeve 50 vacuum insulation for the pumping chamber 44.

A cryogenic fluid dispensing system having a tank that holds cryogenic liquid and manages heat within the system is disclosed. The cryogenic liquid dispensing system optionally includes a basin and/or a heat exchanger within the tank for managing heat within the system.

Method and device for transferring cryogenic fluid comprising a first tank for distributing cryogenic fluid, a second, receiving cryogenic tank accommodating a cryogenic fluid, a fluid transfer circuit connecting the first and the second tank, the transfer circuit comprising a first pipe that connects the upper parts of the first and second tanks and comprises at least one valve, the transfer circuit comprising a second pipe that connects the lower part of the first tank to the second tank, the second transfer pipe comprising a pump that comprises an inlet connected to the first tank and an outlet connected to the second tank and the pump and the at least one valve of the first pipe being configured to place the upper parts of the first and second tanks in fluidic communication by opening the at least one valve during a transfer of liquid from the first tank to the second tank by way of the pump.

Device and method for filling pressurized gas tanks, particularly vehicle pressurized hydrogen tanks, the device comprising a liquefied gas source, a transfer circuit comprising two parallel transfer lines each having an upstream end linked to the liquefied gas source, at least two separate downstream ends intended to be each removably connected to a tank to be filled, each of the two transfer lines comprising: a pump, a vaporizer for evaporating the pumped fluid, a branch for bypassing the vaporizer and a distribution valve(s) set configured to control the flow of fluid pumped and distributed between the vaporizer and the branch line, the device further comprising a storage buffer(s), which storage buffer(s) is(are) connected in parallel to each of the two transfer lines via a set of valves.

Provided is a hybrid refueling station, including: a liquefied fuel unit, a gaseous fuel unit, a temperature management system and a dispensing unit. By combining the liquefied fuel unit with the gaseous fuel unit, boil-off fuel from the liquefied fuel unit is recovered into the gaseous fuel unit, which avoids boil-off loss of liquefied fuel. Provided also is a method for refueling in a hybrid refueling station. By using the gaseous fuel unit to perform a refueling operation during start-up of the liquefied fuel unit, the problem in the prior art of a delay during start-up when the liquefied fuel unit is used is overcome.